Tighter timeline for Obamacare sign-up

The open enrollment period for insurance via the Affordable Care Act began Wednesday, and has been trimmed in half this year to just six weeks. In most cases, Illinois consumers have fewer options to buy a health insurance plan, and will likely pay more for coverage.

Only four providers offer ACA insurance plans in Illinois, although in much of the northwest corner of the state, including Winnebago, Boone and Stephenson counties, there's just one insurer: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.

"I'm hoping people are aware they need to talk to a counselor or come in and sign up for a plan because if you sit back and do nothing, you can't sign up until the enrollment period next year," said Janet Vrtol, a certified application counselor who works for the Stephenson County Health Department.

The state of Illinois has enhanced its state health insurance marketplace website, which now allows consumers to compare health insurance plans for sale both on and off the public exchange. The website -- getcovered.illinois.gov -- previously hasn't included information about all plans or the ability to enroll in them and talk to licensed brokers.

Vrtol said she helped seven people research or sign up for health insurance Wednesday. One woman couldn't afford the premium increase in the plan she has this year and opted for a cheaper plan with higher deductibles and less coverage in 2018.

Even if you've signed up for insurance through the marketplace in previous years and have chosen to automatically re-enroll this year, it's wise to check for any changes to the premiums and coverage options associated with your plan, Vrtol said.

The federal government budgeted $100 million last year to advertise the ACA program and encourage people to sign up for coverage. This year, President Trump slashed that spending to $10 million. Trump has also eliminated federal subsidies to health insurance companies that help pay out-of-pocket costs of low-income people.

Congress, though, has kept the health care law intact, despite the president's repeated calls to repeal and replace it.

"We've literally trained people who have come to us not to go to the emergency room when they have a fever," Vrtol said. "Now they know to go to their primary care doctor unless they have an emergency. The ACA is not a perfect system, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater isn't the best idea, either."

In Illinois, 356,403 people enrolled in 2017 coverage by the end of last year, a decline of about 8 percent from 388,179 people enrolled during the 2016 sign-up period, according to the Illinois Department of Insurance.

"Most people are simply automatically re-enrolling, so the open enrollment period really just applies to new sign-ups -- if you've lost coverage in the last year or if you've never had insurance before," said state Sen. Dave Syverson. The Rockford Republican is the ranking member of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and is a licensed insurance broker affiliated with Williams Manny Insurance.

For those shopping for a plan, it's best not to wait until the enrollment period closes Dec. 15, Syverson said.

"If you're thinking about signing up, do it now because you'll have to wait a whole year if you miss that enrollment window," he said.